The present invention relates to systems that provide in-room entertainment at hotels and other lodging facilities. In particular, the present invention is a method and system for delivering interactive controls for in-room entertainment.
The past two decades have seen the wide scale introduction of entertainment systems in hotels and other lodging facilities. These systems provide a variety of services to the guest through the guest room television. The services typically include regular off-air television programs, pay-per-view movies, Internet access, and guest services such as video shopping and video checkout.
A typical hotel entertainment system contains a head end, a distribution system, and guest terminals located in each of the guest rooms. The head end includes devices to generate entertainment content such as movies and video games, as well as devices to provide Internet access and generate interactive menus and other services. The head end also includes modulators necessary to place the television signals from the various sources on to the appropriate channels for transmission through the distribution system to the guest terminals. A host computer coordinates operation of the entertainment system by receiving key stroke information from the guest terminals and controlling operations of various sources of television signals so that the guest receives the entertainment or services which he or she has requested.
Typically, lodging entertainment systems are not owned by the hotel, but rather are owned by a vendor who provides the head end equipment, and the guest terminals (including the television, remote control, game controller, keyboard, and associated control circuitry which interfaces the television to the distribution system).
The entertainment system vendor owns the equipment and pays for the installation of the system in the lodging facility. The vendor must also provide the content, such as movies, games, and cable/satellite programming. The vendor receives compensation based upon amounts the hotel collects from the guest for pay-per-view movies, games, Internet access, and other services for which charges are made. The hotel usually receives a percentage of the guest charges, and the sources of content, such as motion picture studios and game program vendors, receive royalties for movies and games which are viewed and played by guests.
There is a continuing need for new and improved offerings which will result in higher purchase rates through the lodging entertainment system. At the same time, any additional products/services which also require significant increases in capital investment in the entertainment systems are difficult to justify. For example, if a new service will require additional capital equipment to be installed in every guest room, or will require the addition of expensive hardware or software at the head end, the total cost of the additional hardware and software must be weighed against the increase in purchases which can be expected from the additional capital investment.